Statement

Wellington triumphs on Friday, stumble on Sunday, make a statement on Monday

November is a testing month. It tends to be the month when Dukes teams figure out who they are and what they want to be. A fresh new start phase has faded—the getting-to-know-eachother stage has passed. In November, Dukes teams find an identity as a team— not a group of hyper-talented players, but as a single, cohesive unit. Or they don’t.

The Wellington Dukes know they are a good hockey team—they have a powerful combination of experience, youthful exuberance, talent and speed. They are solid defensively—with a pair of athletic and proven netminders. This team often performs smartly in its zone—two quick passes and out. And they have the offensive weapons to turn a lopsided game into a competitive affair.

There is still time left in this month of selfdiscovery. The Dukes will need all of it.

WELLINGTON 6 – TRENTON 3
Wellington showed up all power and might on Friday in Trenton. After falling behind on a pair of power play goals in the first period, the Dukes pushed back heartily. David Campbell scored late in the frame. That turned the tide. Three more unanswered goals in the second. Wellington and Trenton traded goals in the third before Campbell buried an empty-net marker in the waning seconds.

Brodie MacDougall with a pair. Harrison Ballard and Ethan Quick notched a goal and an assist each.

Trenton pelted Matt Dunsmoor with 53 shots, but the Dukes’ netminder kept the ship afloat until his teammates found their feet.

The Golden Hawks are ranked among the best teams in the country—though they have slipped down the list in recent weeks, failing to put two wins together since mid-October. Still, Wellington’s determination and success in Trenton on Friday was an important signal. A sign that the Dukes can win in any rink in the OJHL.

COBOURG 7 – WELLINGTON 6
Yet, it was a different team on Sunday in Wellington. For a period anyway. And some bits in the third. Cobourg is a solid team. They don’t, however, possess the weapons and discipline of Wellington. But the Cougars came to Wellington on Sunday with a fire in their bellies.

Five unanswered goals in the first period. Every other shot zipped past Ethan Morrow in the Dukes’ net. But this wasn’t all on the young netminder. It wasn’t a great outing, but this young man has demonstrated his talent and worth many-fold by keeping the Dukes in previous games. This wasn’t one of them.

Jake Vreugdenhil leads his team with 21 points in 19 games, including a short-handed beauty on Sunday.

The team in front of him looked disorganized, uninterested. Each, seemingly waiting for the other to make the play. As the goals piled up, forwards held the puck longer—striving to turn the game around on their singular effort. It only made matters worse.

On Sunday, everyone in the rink knew a better Dukes team would come out on the ice in the second. And they were proved right.

Appropriately, captain Emmet Pierce deftly redirected a Cole McGuire point shot to put the Dukes on the board early in the second period. A power play goal.

Killing a penalty a few moments later, Jake Vreugdenhil, reminiscent of Mark Senecal of a distant Dukes team—forced a turnover at the Cougars’ blueline. With Graham Dickerson. Back to Vreugdenhil. Short-handed goal.

The Dukes were in command. Cobourg back on their heels. That allowed Ethan Quick to skate deep down the right wing, find his lane. Patient. Shot. Top corner. Goal.

Another Cobourg goal—against Matt Dunsmoor in the Dukes’ net for Morrow. Just a hiccup. Barrett Joynt scored with just seconds left in the second. The Dukes were within a pair of goals of tying this game again. With a period to go. And all the momentum.

Cobourg came back in the third a bit more determined. But it turned to Vreugdenhil to set the Dukes back on track—unleashing a well-placed wrist shot through traffic to narrow the Cobourg lead to a goal.

Now desperate, the Cougars pushed back hard. Dunsmoor was tested. Often. Compelled to produce back-to-back brilliant saves. Cobourg snipers looked skyward for answers.

That was when Barret Joynt pushed the puck loose from the Cobourg defender at the Dukes’ blue line. A foot race. Joynt was always going to win that competition. On a break, he sailed up the wing—two strides inside the blueline, low shot, far corner. The game was tied.

Alas, it was not to be. With just over two minutes remaining, Cobourg forced a turnover, and the puck was in the Dukes’ net. There would be no happy ending.

Nor should there have been. Wild, high-scoring games tend to reinforce bad habits. The Dukes lost this game in the first period. They need to wear it. They must figure out how to bolster each other when the feet aren’t moving, the passes aren’t connecting, and the purpose is less well defined.

It’s November. It is when great Dukes teams are made.

WELLINGTON 7 – COBOURG 3
Monday’s game in Cobourg followed a similar pattern—but with a better outcome. The first Cougar goal came 41 seconds into the game. Three goals against Matt Dunsmoor in the first period. A different Dukes team emerged in the second. Four goals. Two from Corbin Roach, one from Joynt and another from Graham Dickerson, who had assisted on Roach’s goals. Three more Wellington goals in the third from Will Mitchell, Ethan Quick, and Joynt’s empty-netter.

UP NEXT: TORONTO PATRIOTS AND LINDSAY
A pair of home games this weekend. On Friday night, the Dukes host the Toronto Patriots. The Patriots have a ton of firepower but have struggled defensively this season—hovering below .500 hockey in a high-powered South Division. They’ve won three of their last five games. Toronto has lost three games decided by overtime this season. Wellington stifled the Patriots 2- 0 as part of the Governor’s Showcase in their only meeting this season.

It is great to see the Lindsay Muskies enjoying success in this new season. The loyal fan base has endured a decades-long string of mediocrity. The Muskies currently reside in the middle of the East Division with a .500 record. Lindsay has lost all of its last five games—managing just five goals in the span.

Yet, Lindsay remains a formidable opponent. Wellington took the first match in October, but the Muskies responded with a 3-1 win a week later. In Wellington.

Sunday’s face-off is set for 2:30 p.m.